That shall, for all the pains and sorrows past,
Pay to her usury of long delight:
And, whilst she doth her dight,
Do ye to her of joy and solace sing,
That all the woods may answer, and your
echo ring.

Bring with you all the nymphs that you can hear,

Both of the rivers and the forests green,
And of the sea that neighbours to her near,
All with gay garlands goodly well beseen; 40
And let them also with them bring in hand
Another gay garland,

For my fair love, of lilies and of roses,
Bound truelove-wise with a blue silk riband;
And let them make great store of bridal posies,
And let them eke bring store of other flowers,
To deck the bridal bowers;

And let the ground whereas1 her foot shall tread,

For fear the stones her tender foot should

80

The merry lark her matins sings aloft;
The thrush replies; the mavis descant plays;
The ouzel shrills; the ruddock warbles soft;
So goodly all agree, with sweet concent,5
To this day's merriment.

Ah! my dear love, why do ye sleep thus long
When meeter were that ye should now awake,
T'await the coming of your joyous make,
And hearken to the birds' love-learnèd song,
The dewy leaves among!

For they of joy and pleasance to you sing, 90 That all the woods them answer, and their echo ring.

My love is now awake out of her dreams,
And her fair eyes, like stars that dimmed were
With darksome cloud, now show their goodly
beams

More bright than Hesperus his head doth rear.
Come now, ye damsels, daughters of delight,
Help quickly her to dight:

But first come ye, fair Hours, which were begot,
In Jove's sweet paradise, of Day and Night;
Which do the seasons of the year allot,
And all that ever in this world is fair
Do make and still repair:

100

And ye three handmaids of the Cyprian queen,
The which do still adorn her beauty's pride,
Help to adorn my beautifulest bride;
And as ye her array, still throw between
Some graces to be seen,

And, as ye use to Venus, to her sing,

The whiles the woods shall answer, and your echo ring.

150

Lo! where she comes along with portly pace,
Like Phoebe,' from her chamber of the East,
Arising forth to run her mighty race,
Clad all in white, that 'seems a virgin best.
So well it her beseems that ye would ween
Some angel she had been.

Her long loose yellow locks like golden wire, Sprinkled with pearl, and pearling flowers atween,

Do like a golden mantle her attire;
And, being crowned with a garland green,
Seem like some maiden queen.
Her modest eyes, abashèd to behold
So many gazers as on her do stare,
Upon the lowly ground affixèd are;
Ne dare lift up her countenance too bold,
But blush to hear her praises sung so loud,
So far from being proud.

160

Nathless do ye still loud her praises sing, That all the woods may answer, and your echo ring.

230

That even th' angels, which continually
About the sacred altar do remain,
Forget their service and about her fly,
Oft peeping in her face, that seems more fair,
The more they on it stare.

But her sad1 eyes, still fast'nèd on the ground,
Are governed with goodly modesty,
That suffers not one look to glance awry
Which may let in a little thought unsound.
Why blush ye, love, to give to me your hand,
The pledge of all our band?
Sing, ye sweet angels, Alleluia sing,
That all the woods may answer, and your echo

240

1 the moon

2 nevertheless 3 spirit

ring.

1 serious

Now all is done: bring home the bride again;
Bring home the triumph of our victory:
Bring home with you the glory of her gain,
With joyance bring her and with jollity.
Never had man more joyful day than this
Whom heaven would heap with bliss;

Make feast therefore now all this live-long day;

This day for ever to me holy is.

Pour out the wine without restraint or stay,
Pour not by cups, but by the bellyful, 251
Pour out to all that will,

And sprinkle all the posts and walls with wine,
That they may sweat and drunken be withal.
Crown ye god Bacchus with a coronal,
And Hymen also crown with wreaths of vine;
And let the Graces dance unto the rest,
For they can do it best :

The whiles the maidens do their carol sing, To which the woods shall answer, and their echo ring.

260

Ring ye the bells, ye young men of the town,
And leave your wonted labours for this day:
This day is holy; do ye write it down,
That ye forever it remember may;
This day the sun is in his chiefest height,
With Barnaby the bright,

270

From whence declining daily by degrees,
He somewhat loseth of his heat and light,
When once the Crab behind his back he sees.
But for this time it ill ordained was,
To choose the longest day in all the year,
And shortest night, when longest fitter were:
Yet never day so long, but late would pass.
Ring ye the bells, to make it wear away,
And bonfires make all day;

And dance about them, and about them sing, That all the woods may answer, and your echo ring.

Ah! when will this long weary day have end,
And lend me leave to come unto my love?
How slowly do the hours their numbers spend !
How slowly does sad Time his feathers move!
Haste thee, O fairest planet, to thy home, 282
Within the western foam:

Thy tired steeds long since have need of rest.
Long though it be, at last I see it gloom,
And the bright evening-star with golden crest
Appear out of the East.

Fair child of beauty! glorious lamp of love!
That all the hosts of heaven in ranks dost lead,
And guidest lovers through the nightës dread,
How cheerfully thou lookest from above, 291

AE

And seem'st to laugh atween thy twinkling light,

As joying in the sight

Of these glad many, which for joy do sing, That all the woods them answer, and their echo ring!

Now cease, ye damsels, your delights forepast;
Enough it is that all the day was yours:
Now day is done, and night is nighing fast,
Now bring the bride into the bridal bowers.
The night is come, now soon her disarray, 300
And in her bed her lay;

Lay her in lilies and in violets,

And silken curtains over her display,
And odoured sheets, and Arras coverlets.
Behold how goodly my fair love does lie,
In proud humility!

Like unto Maia, whenas Jove her took
In Tempe, lying on the flowery grass,
'Twixt sleep and wake, after she weary was
With bathing in the Acidalian brook.
Now it is night, ye damsels may be gone,
And leave my love alone,

310

And leave likewise your former lay to sing: The woods no more shall answer, nor your echo ring.

You calm the storm that passion did begin, Strong through your cause, but by your virtue weak.

Dark is the world where your light shinèd never;

Well is he born that may behold you ever.

XXIV

Like as a ship, that through the ocean wide
By conduct of some star doth make her way,
Whenas a storm hath dimmed her trusty
guide,

Out of her course doth wander far astray;
So I, whose star, that wont with her bright ray
Me to direct, with clouds is overcast,
Do wander now, in darkness and dismay,
Through hidden perils round about me placed;
Yet hope I well that, when this storm is past,
My Helice, the lodestar of my life,
Will shine again, and look on me at last,
With lovely light to clear my cloudy grief:
Till then I wander careful, comfortless,
In secret sorrow and sad pensiveness.

PROTHALAMION

ΙΟ

Calm was the day, and through the trembling air

Sweet breathing Zephyrus did softly play,
A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay
Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair;
When I (whom sullen care,

ΙΟ

Through discontent of my long fruitless stay
In princes' court, and expectation vain
Of idle hopes, which still do fly away,
Like empty shadows, did afflict my brain)
Walked forth, to ease my pain,
Along the shore of silver streaming Thames;
Whose rutty1 bank, the which his river hems,
Was painted all with variable flowers,
And all the meads adorned with dainty gems,
Fit to deck maidens' bowers,
And crown their paramours,
Against the bridal day, which is not long:
Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my

With that, I saw two swans of goodly hue Come softly swimming down along the Lee; 38 Two fairer birds I yet did never see;

The snow which doth the top of Pindus strew
Did never whiter shew,

Nor Jove himself, when he a swan would be
For love of Leda, whiter did appear;
Yet Leda was, they say, as white as he,
Yet not so white as these, nor nothing near;
So purely white they were,

That even the gentle stream, the which them bare,

Seemed foul to them, and bade his billows

Upon your bridal day, which is not long: Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song."

IIO

So ended she; and all the rest around
To her redoubled that her undersong,
Which said their bridal day should not be long:
And gentle Echo from the neighbour ground
Their accents did resound.

So forth those joyous birds did pass along,
Adown the Lee, that to them murmured low,
As he would speak, but that he lacked a
tongue,

Yet did by signs his glad affection show,
Making his stream run slow.

And all the fowl which in his flood did dwell
'Gan flock about these twain, that did excel
The rest, so far as Cynthia1 doth shend 2 121
The lesser stars. So they, enrangèd well,
Did on those two attend,

And their best service lend,

Against their wedding day, which was not long: Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my